According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), it’s not too late for patients to be given the flu shot, which still offers protection from the flu strains circulating this season. The shot not only protects the patient, but those who may be in contact with that patient.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the current flu vaccine's effectiveness to be
about 30 percent, the agency continues to recommend the influenza vaccination as the best flu prevention strategy.